Method and system for integration among content publication, advertisement services and rewards collection

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method and system for integration among content publication, advertisement services and rewards collection is provided. The method and system comprises publishing a first content generated by a first user for public viewing, determining whether a predetermined condition of the published first content reaches a first predetermined threshold, providing a first slot available for a first advertisement if the first predetermined threshold is reached, and allowing the first user to set a first price for the first slot to sell for rewards collection. When the published content reaches a second predetermined threshold, a second slot is then provided for the user to set a second price for rewards collection and so on.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application claims priority based on U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 61/558,511, filed 11 Nov. 2011 by the presentinventor, entitled “System and Method for Reporting SustainableDevelopment Strategies, Exchanging Public Policies, EnvironmentallyFriendly and Political Information and Any General InformationInternationally and Without Language Barriers, and Receiving FinancialRewards for Publishing Content Online,” which is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to receiving rewards for contentcontribution by using advertisement services and, more particularly, toa method and system for integration among content publication,advertisement services and rewards collection.

2. Description of the Related Art

With the progress and development in the Internet technology, a user canreceive financial rewards/compensation through publishing his/hercontent over the Internet. Advertisement services, such as GoogleAdSense, provide a tool that creates and places advertisements onwebsites where contents of interest are published. An advertisementservice provider, such as Google, and a content publisher or a websiteowner then share profits based on, for example, cost-per-click (CPC) orcost-per-thousand-impression (CPM) paid by advertisers for eachadvertisement that appears on the website. However, such advertisementservices may impose limitations on rewards collection, as the CPC andthe CPM being the instant examples, and thus may not be user-friendly orflexible. Furthermore, because a user can potentially publish endlesscontent online via websites and social-networks such as Twitter andFacebook easily, the quality of the published online content is oftennot considered. Finally, the current systems or methods for reportingcontents and the format of exchanging contents may not be interactiveenough, which may hinder potential users from participating in contentsof interest that consider environmental, economic and social aspects ofsustainable development.

It may therefore be desirable to have a method and system forintegration among content publication, advertisement services andrewards collection. It may also be desirable to have a method and systemthat provides incentives for publishing quality and recommendedcontents, and a flexible, interactive environment forpublishing/exchanging contents, receiving rewards and usingadvertisement services.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention may provide a method forintegration among content publication, advertisement services andrewards collection. The method comprises publishing a first contentgenerated by a first user for public viewing, determining whether apredetermined condition of the published first content reaches a firstpredetermined threshold, providing a first slot available for a firstadvertisement if the first predetermined threshold is reached, andallowing the first user to set a first price for the first slot.

Some embodiments of the present invention may also provide a method forintegration among content publication, advertisement services andrewards collection. The method comprises publishing a first content,providing a first slot, associated with the first content, available fora first advertisement, and allowing a first user to set a first pricefor the first slot.

Embodiments of the present invention may further provide a system forintegration among content publication, advertisement services andrewards collection. The system comprises means for publishing a firstcontent generated by a first user for public viewing, means fordetermining whether a predetermined condition of the published firstcontent reaches a first predetermined threshold, means for providing afirst slot available for a first advertisement if the firstpredetermined threshold is reached, and means for allowing the firstuser to set a first price for the first slot.

Embodiments of the present invention may still provide a system forintegration among content publication, advertisement services andrewards collection. The system comprises means for publishing a firstcontent, means for providing a first slot, associated with the firstcontent, available for a first advertisement, and means for allowing afirst user to set a first price for the first slot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made in detail to the invention and embodimentsthereof, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughoutthe drawings to refer to the same or like portions. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system for integration among contentpublishing, advertisement services and rewards collection in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary screen showing a user's main menu page;

FIG. 3A is an exemplary screen showing how the Sustainable DevelopmentStrategy (SDS) tab may appear after a user gains more recommendations topublish more SDS;

FIG. 3B is an exemplary screen showing the information a user may supplyin order to publish a SDS;

FIG. 3C is an exemplary screen showing how a published SDS may appear onthe system;

FIG. 4A is an exemplary screen showing the main menu for managing auser's Green Real Estate (GRE);

FIG. 4B is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access theavailable opportunities to price his/her GRE;

FIG. 4C is an exemplary screen showing the information a user isrequested to supply in order to price his/her GRE;

FIG. 4D is an exemplary screen showing the parcels of GRE a user iscurrently selling;

FIG. 4E is an exemplary screen showing the transaction history of auser's sold (both paid and unpaid) and unsold parcels of GRE;

FIG. 4F is an exemplary screen showing the parcels of GRE a user iscurrently bidding;

FIG. 4G is an exemplary screen showing the parcels of GRE a user hasacquired via bidding;

FIG. 4H is an exemplary screen showing the information a user isrequested to supply in order to “construct” his/her GRE;

FIG. 4I is an exemplary screen showing how a user provides his/hersellers/buyers feedback;

FIG. 4J is an exemplary screen showing a list of people a user hasblocked from bidding his/her GRE;

FIG. 5A is an exemplary screen showing a published SDS that has earnedrecommendations and contains for-sale GRE;

FIG. 5B is an exemplary screen showing a published SDS when bidders ofGRE have completed payments and uploaded contents he/she wishes todisplay;

FIG. 6A is an exemplary screen showing a list of a user's for-sale GRE;

FIG. 6B is an exemplary screen showing the details of the for-sale GREillustrated in FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A is an exemplary screen showing a user's biography;

FIG. 7B is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to view another user's biography;

FIG. 7C is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to view another user's or his/her own list of alliance;

FIG. 7D is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to view another user's or his/her own list of translators;

FIG. 8A is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to view another user's or his/her own list of publishedbriefings;

FIG. 8B is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to publish a “Links” type of briefing;

FIG. 8C is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to publish a “Photos” type of briefing;

FIG. 8D is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to publish a “Videos” type of briefing;

FIG. 8E is and exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to publish a “Press Releases” type of briefing;

FIG. 9 is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to participate in Q&A sessions;

FIG. 10 is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to view updates of his/her alliance; and

FIGS. 11A to 11C are flow diagrams showing a method for integrationamong content publication, advertisement services and rewards collectionin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Throughout the specification, environment and/or sustainable developmentwill be used as an example of published content when describing theembodiments of the present invention. Nevertheless, the presentinvention is equally applicable to other types of contents. A user maypublish anything he/she wishes and still be able to earn financialrewards.

Combating climate change, controlling greenhouse gas emissions andcreating holistic yet practical sustainable development strategies arecrucial in meeting the goals of sustainable development worldwide andallowing the human race to live in harmony with nature. According to theUnited Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division forSustainable Development, Chapter 8 of Agenda 21 encourages countries todevelop National Sustainable Development Strategies (NSDS) thatsynchronize and complement each country's economic, social andenvironmental policies and plans. Produced as a result of the UnitedNations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Janeiro,Brazil, in 1992, Agenda 21 is a comprehensive action plan that providesenvironmental guidance globally. In 1997, the Special Session of theUnited Nations' General Assembly again emphasizes the importance of NSDSand asks countries to formulate their NSDS by 2002. Further, the WorldSummit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) advocates countries toimplement their NSDS by 2005. Recently, the United Nations MillenniumDeclaration urges countries to incorporate principles of sustainabledevelopment into national policies and programs(http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/dsd_aofw_nsds/nsds_index.shtml).

The importance of developing comprehensive NSDS that considerenvironmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable development isclear through various international agencies' meetings and declarations.However, there are issues with the current method of reporting NSDS andthe format of exchanging sustainable development related informationand/or public policies:

While some countries have published their NSDS and even made themaccessible on the Internet and through the United Nations' web portal,citizens of various countries often do not know how to look them up orhow to translate the abundance of information into a commonlyunderstandable and concise format.

NSDS is often presented in only one or two languages and thus does notefficiently address the pressing global issue of sustainable developmentand assist with the exchange of such information among nations.

Even if NSDS readers and researchers can acquire information regardingcountries' NSDS via an electronic medium, such as a database or theInternet, the format is often not interactive. That is, readers andresearchers cannot easily comment, recommend or help to translate theNSDS into other languages to help raise awareness on countries' NSDS orany NSDS in general. Further, readers and researchers cannot communicatewith each other easily, find translators to help them to understand aparticular NSDS or make alliance to share thoughts or feelings ofapproval/disapproval on certain NSDS.

It can be difficult for readers and researchers to find out the authorsof the NSDS or an overall spokesperson for a country's NSDS. As aresult, the authors of the NSDS, the readers, the researchers, thepolicy makers, cannot easily ask or respond to questions to help eachother to improve the NSDS and benefit sustainable development overall.

NSDS is presented by countries using different units, standards,languages and formats. This can cause confusion, especially for acountry's policy makers, researchers and citizens trying to understandother countries' NSDS and sustainable development practices.

As the name suggested, National Sustainable Development Strategies(NSDS) are holistic environmental strategies at the national level.While they are based on and intended for each country's numerouscorporations, organizations and individuals' activities, thecorporations, organizations and individuals often cannot report or sharepublicly via an electronic medium their own Personal SustainableDevelopment Strategies in a standardized and commonly understandableformat. For example, an individual may have a useful PersonalSustainable Development Strategy to share with the public, but via thecurrent method, he/she cannot easily showcase his/her ideas in astandardized format and interact with his/her audience. Companies thathave created “green products” or certain sustainable practices may alsowish to share their product-specific or company-specific SustainableDevelopment Strategies.

Besides the issues mentioned above, there are also problems with the waya user is receiving rewards, especially financial rewards/compensation,for publishing content online or via an electronic medium such as blogsor social-networking services. For example, if a user were to publishhis/her sustainable development related strategies/ideas/information orany content in general on his/her blogs/websites while hoping to receivefinancial rewards for his/her content contribution by usingadvertisement services (such as Google AdSense), he/she may face thefollowing issues:

A user would have to apply in order to utilize/install manyadvertisement services. A user could be denied from using such servicesinitially if he/she did not receive enough visitors/viewers on his/herwebsites and/or blogs. In that case, if a user happens to have a usefulSustainable Development Strategy or wishes to publish any content ingeneral on his/her websites/blogs but did not meet the “number ofvisitors” requirement initially, he/she will not be able to receivefinancial rewards right away for his/her content contribution andpublications.

Advertisement services such as Google AdSense often claim one of itsmain features is profit-sharing. That is, advertisement services ingeneral will share the amount of money they collect from advertiserswith the content publishers or the website owners who use theiradvertisement services. However, these advertisement services generallymay not state exactly the amount of money they collect from theadvertisers. Moreover, the profit-sharing plans between theadvertisement services and the content publishers who use their servicesare not entirely unclear. For example, sometimes a content publisherwould not know if he/she is collecting exactly 30 percent or 60 percentof the profits or the revenue advertisement services collect from theadvertisers. The revenue/profits share is often not fully disclosed.

Content publishers or web site owners who use Google AdSense or similarservices often have to wait until they pass a certain “threshold” (suchas waiting until their earnings gained from people clicking on or simplyviewing the advertisements to reach $100) in order to receive theirfinancial rewards. Such process could take long, up to weeks or monthsor even years for some, in order for the content publishers to receivetheir financial rewards (such as in the form of a check).

For most content publishers or website owners who utilize advertisementservices on their blogs/websites, their earnings are based oncost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-thousand-impression (CPM). This means acontent publisher will generate earnings when someone else (other thanhim/herself) clicks on the ads or when an impression occurs. If neitherhappens, a content contributor/website owner may not be able to generaterevenue.

For most content publishers or website owners who use Google AdSense orsimilar services, they do not have the opportunities to decide on thevalue of their content/blogs/websites and/or the prices of their slotsfor advertisements. That is, content publishers/website owners cannotset “base prices” for their available slots for advertisements. Forexample, a user may decide that his/her advertisement slot is worth atleast $50.00 and interested advertisers need to bid at least equal to orgreater than the base price. Most advertisement services let advertisersdecide on the value of the slots through auctions instead of lettingcontent publishers decide on the value of their advertisement slots.

Advertisement services (such as Google AdSense) claim that ads competein an ad auction and their system automatically select those thatgenerate the most revenue. However, users who install the advertisementservices may not be able to participate fully in order to see who arebidding on their advertisement slots to make certain that the ad auctionis truly selecting those that generate the most revenue.

According to the present invention, a method and system is provided toaddress the above issues. This method and system allows users to reportand exchange Sustainable Development Strategies (SDS) at the personallevel as well as the national level. Personal refers not only toindividuals but also companies, corporations, organizations, schools,families and any type of organized body other than each country'srepresentative government body. National, on the other hand, refers tothe governing body of a nation, state and/or community.

Furthermore, this method and system allows users to exchangeenvironmentally friendly strategies, ideas, acts, policies, trends,products, information and any other international affairs, politicalinformation, related information and any information in generalinternationally and without language barriers to benefit sustainabledevelopment worldwide. Accordingly, people may become representatives oftheir countries without actually joining the government workforce orgoing through an election or attending international meetings such asthe United Nations' General Assembly in person.

This method and system also allows users to build their internationalalliances, find translators, interact with SDS authors or contentpublishers in general, learn about different countries' SDS and “greenculture” and sharpen language skills. Any individuals, companies,corporations, organizations, schools, families and any types oforganized bodies may promote their SDS in a commonly understandable andconcise format via this method and system.

Moreover, this method and system allows users to receive financialcompensation for publishing content online. This system and method forreceiving rewards, especially financial ones, and for publishing contentonline can be applied in general. That is, the content published doesnot necessarily have to relate to the exemplary environment and/orsustainable development.

The method and system in accordance with the present invention providesan interactive electronic SDS (and other related information) reporting,environmentally friendly strategies, ideas, acts, policies andinformation (or other general international affairs and politicalinformation) exchanging, and financial rewards receiving for publishingcontent online service employing a computer, a monitor, a database, theInternet and/or other electronic medium such as an iPad (or tablet PCs)and/or a mobile device.

The system can be accessed on the Internet by a user to allow fullinteractivity at all times. In one embodiment, the system can be builtusing PHP, MySQL, Apache, JavaScript, Ajax, JQuery, CSS and HTML.Alternatively, the system can be built using other common webprogramming languages such as ASP, JSP, Java, Python, Ruby or ColdFusionor other web programming languages, and other database technologies suchas Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL or other common databasetechnologies. Other technologies that can be used include but are notlimited to: Flash, AJAX, Closure, Java Servlets, Big Table, Colossus,MapReduce, NoSQL, Cassandra, HBase.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system 10 for integration amongcontent publishing, advertisement services and rewards collection inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIG. 1, the system 10 may include a server 20 and a plurality of userdevices 30. The server 20 and the user devices 30 may communicate witheach other over a communications network (not numbered). Thecommunications network may include the Internet or World Wide Web, awide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), and/or an extranet.The user devices 30 may each include a computing device such as apersonal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, alaptop, or other mobile devices.

The server 20 may include a processor 21, a storage device 22, a contentpublication module 23, an advertisement service module 24 and a rewardscollection module 25. The role and function of each of the modules 23through 25 will become clear as the method and system according to thepresent invention is described in subsequent embodiments.

Initially, for a user to gain access to the system and method, he/she isrequested to provide the required information in a login or registrationprocess. The information may be entered on a PHP page transmitted overthe Internet. Alternatively, if the web pages were created using othertypes of technologies, such as ASP, then the information required tocreate an account (or a “Mission Office”) is entered on thattechnology-specific language. For first-time users, the informationrequired includes but is not limited to first name, last name, gender,email, password, nationality, mother tongue and birth month and year.Upon registration of the system, a user will be assigned a person number(or an ID) and he/she can gain access to his/her “Mission Office,” asshown in FIG. 2. For users who have already registered and obtained aperson number (or an ID), he/she can simply log in the system withhis/her email and password to gain access to his/her “Mission Office.”An embodiment of the system allows a user to view the top three newest,most viewed, most recommended and most translated SDS withoutregistering the system.

Alternatively, the system can be programmed so the number of SDS orcontents available for public viewing without registering the system canvary. For example, five or all existing SDS or contents are availablefor public viewing without registering the system. The system can alsobe programmed so that a user is required to register in order to viewany published SDS and other contents. Besides the newest, most viewed,most recommended and most translated SDS or contents, other categoriescan also be included, such as “most profitable” or “most savings.”

FIG. 2 is an exemplary screen showing a user's main menu page, i.e.,his/her Mission Office 78, after logging in the system. Referring toFIG. 2, a user may view updates of his/her alliance by selecting News80, edit his/her biography by selecting Biography 82, view a list ofhis/her alliance by selecting Alliance 84 and a list of his/hertranslators by selecting Translators 86, publish his/her personalSustainable Development Strategies by selecting SDS 88, publish othercontents or materials other than SDS by selecting Memo 89, view his/hercurrent for-sale “Green Real Estate” (i.e. slots available foradvertisements) by selecting GRE 90, publish briefings by selectingBriefings 92 and ask/respond to questions by selecting Q&A 94.

As previously mentioned, the contents a user can publish are not limitedto SDS that relate to the environment and/or sustainable development.For purposes of convenience, SDS are used as an example in variousembodiments of the disclosure.

By typing in a nationality, a language or a name in field box 96, a usermay search for alliance and/or translators. In addition, a user may alsosearch for published SDS and Memos by their titles, categories, authornames and content keywords. Finally, a user may also search for thecurrent for-sale GRE by their titles, content and bid amounts. Thesearching function can potentially search anything that exists in thesystem's database. The “Congratulations!.” message 98 informs a userwhen he/she gains another opportunity to publish another SDS and sell aparcel of GRE to gain potential financial rewards.

The “[user's first name] has invited you to be an alliance” message 100informs a user when he/she receives an invitation from another user toform alliance. In the present example, Marie and Howard have invitedJoyce (the owner of the Mission Office) to be an alliance.

The “[user's first name] has invited you to be a translator” message 102informs a user when he/she receives an invitation from another user tobecome his/her translator. In the present example, Jenny and Henry haveinvited Joyce to be her/his translator.

Recommendations 104 indicates the total number of recommendations a userhas earned from publishing effective SDS, informative briefings (whichmay include but is not limited to links, photos, videos and pressreleases, as shown in FIG. 8B), and helpful translations of SDS Theseare merely examples. The total number of recommendations can alsoinclude, for example, the recommendations a user has earned frompublishing useful memorandums or contributing interesting questions andvaluable answers or providing a detailed resume/biography etc.

Total translations 106 indicates the number of SDS a user hastranslated.

GRE Transaction Rating 108 indicates the feedback ratings a user hasreceived from his/her buyers and/or sellers of GRE.

Positive Feedback 110 shows the percentage of positive ratings providedby buyers/sellers of a user's GRE. This is calculated by dividing thenumber of positive ratings by the sum of all positive and negativeratings (total number of ratings).

The number badge 112 shows a user's current “rank.” A user's rank (whichis shown by different number badges) can be based on the number ofrecommendations he/she has earn from publishing effective SDS and othertypes of content (such as “memos” or “briefings”). As mentioned, theintention of the system is to provide a platform where a user may sharepolicies and information (especially those related to sustainabledevelopment) efficiently. Moreover, the mission of the system is toprovide a platform where a user may become a government official or arepresentative of his/her country without holding an election oractually joining the government workforce. Therefore, the number badgemay serve as an incentive for users to publish effective SDS and sharequality content. As mentioned previously, however, the publishedcontents are not limited to SDS and may include other types of contents.

The Latest Q&A 114 shows the most recent three questions and/or answersfrom Q&A 94.

Latest translations 116 shows the most recent three translations of auser's SDS.

Send Invitations 118 allows a user to invite people to use the systemand method to become potential alliance, translators, recommendersand/or buyers of his/her GRE.

By selecting Manage My Green Real Estate (GRE) 120, a user may accessthe main menu of the selling/buying of GRE to gain financial rewards forpublishing recommended SDS and Memos, as shown in FIG. 4A. The format ofmemorandums (“Memos”) can be similar to a blog entry or a diary/journalentry.

Alternatively, besides showing updates of a user's alliance, News 80 canalso include updates of a user's translators, such as his/her latesttranslations, for-sale GRE, newly published SDS and briefings etc. Inaddition, News 80 can also update a user on the latest news ofsustainable development in general, for example, the policy changesregarding the carbon trading rules. Moreover, News 80 can also allowusers to subscribe and obtaincorporations/organizations/schools/products' latest updates and “green”product releases. Finally, News 80 can also include local, national andworld news in general, providing users quick access to the latestinformation.

Regarding SDS 88 and Memo 89, in one embodiment, a first-time user maystart with three opportunities to draft SDS and/or any other types ofcontents in Memo 89 initially. That is, a user may only publish threeSDS and memorandums initially, unless he/she has earned at least fiverecommendations on one of them. As soon as a user earns at least five ormore recommendations on one of his/her SDS or memorandums (that cancontain any types of contents), he/she will then gain an opportunity topublish another SDS or memorandum. At the same time, he/she will gain anopportunity to price and sell a parcel of “Green Real Estate (GRE),”which is an empty space/slot (available for advertisements or othersimilar uses or other uses such as sending greeting cards) located nextto the SDS or the memorandum where he/she gains the recommendationsfrom. The system can provide a message indicating the number of SDS ormemorandums a user is allowed to draft at the moment.

The reason for imposing a restriction or a predetermined condition onthe number of SDS and the memorandums a user may publish or the numberof recommendations a user must earn in order to sell slots available foradvertisements is to ensure the quality of contents a user is uploadingto the system. While online social networks such as Facebook and Twitterhave provided users the convenience of publishing contents online easilyand quickly, they also indirectly provide a way for users to shareendless contents online without caring for the contents' quality,purposes and effect. Overabundance of information online can distractusers from receiving truly educational and useful information, and atthe same time, cause users to spend more time to filter throughinformation to obtain what he/she truly desires to seek. Excess sharingof information is also propelling websites such as Google and Facebookto build more data centers to store the shared information. Theconstruction of such buildings may not always have the best impact onthe environments.

In one embodiment of the present invention, by imposing a restriction orcreating a predetermined condition for the amounts of contents a usermay publish or the number of recommendations a user must earn in orderto sell a slot available for advertisements (aka GRE), the systemcreates a “filter” and incentives for users to upload quality contents.Only if a user's generated contents receive a certain number ofrecommendations can he/she be granted with opportunities to publish morecontents and to sell parcels of GRE (i.e., slots located next to his/hergenerated contents that are available for advertisements or similar usesor other uses such as sending greeting cards) to make money. Therefore,when a user publishes well-thought-out contents, he/she will not only berewarded with viewers' recommendations, he/she will also gainopportunities to sell slots available for advertisements to make money.At the same time, contrary to the common websites where a recommendationmerely sends a virtual approval, in the embodiment mentioned above, arecommender of a content can also help its author to receive potentialincome in addition to sending a virtual endorsement.

Alternatively, the system can be programmed so that each user may startwith more or less than three opportunities to publish SDS or memorandumsthat can contain any types of content. This initial number can vary orthe system can be programmed in such a way that there will be norestrictions or predetermined conditions on the number of SDS ormemorandums one may publish initially. In addition, the number ofrecommendations a user must earn in order to publish another SDS ormemorandum, and to sell a parcel of GRE to make money can vary dependingon how the system is programmed. For example, instead of earning atleast five recommendations, the system can be programmed in such a waythat a user must earn at least ten or even just two recommendations onthe published SDS or memorandum in order to sell a slot available foradvertisement. Another option is that the system does not have to imposeany restrictions or predetermined conditions on the number ofrecommendations a user must earn in order to publish anotherSDS/memorandum or to sell a parcel of GRE. That is, a user may sell GREwithout gaining any recommendations on his/her published SDS ormemorandums (again, which can contain any types of contents).

The opportunities to publish more SDS or memorandums (which can containany types of contents in general) and to sell GRE can also be programmedwith other varieties. For example, a user may start with five SDS and isrequired to earn at least ten recommendations in order to publish twomore SDS and sell three parcels of GRE. Again, the number ofSDS/memorandums a user can publish initially, the number ofrecommendations he/she must earn to publish more SDS or memorandums orcontents, and the number of slots he/she can sell for advertisements orother uses can range from zero to infinity.

The system can also be programmed so that if a user publishes a veryeffective SDS or a very useful memorandum and earns a large number ofrecommendations in a certain period of time period of time, then he/shemay be allowed to publish more SDS or memorandums than usual and/or sellmore GRE than usual and/or earn a higher profit share when his/her GREis sold.

Another alternative is that a user may not need to earn anyrecommendations to publish any more SDS or memorandums or to sell GRE.In other words, the restrictions on the number of SDS and memorandumsone may publish and the number of opportunities one may sell GRE to makemoney may be eliminated. As such, a user may publish any number of SDSor memorandums he/she wishes, and none of his/her SDS or memorandumsneeds to earn any recommendations in order to sell GRE. Once a parcel ofGRE is sold, the user and the owner of the system can share the revenue.

FIG. 3A is an exemplary screen showing how the SDS tab 88 illustrated inFIG. 2 may appear after a user gains more recommendations to publishmore SDS. Referring to FIG. 3A, it shows a list of a user's publishedSDS. When a user clicks on a text link that appears below Title 126, itwill direct a user to the details of a SDS, as shown in FIGS. 3C, 5A and5B. Category 128 indicates the subject a SDS is related to. For example,if a SDS is about planting trees to reduce carbon, then it may berelated forests or atmosphere. Date 130 indicates the date and time aSDS is published.

FIG. 3B is an exemplary screen showing the information a user may supplyin order to publish a SDS. Sustainable Development can be measured inmany different ways, such as energy efficiency and reduction in carbonemissions. Different methods of measurement can result in a wide varietyof green information. As a result, the format shown in FIG. 3B maystandardize sustainable development strategy and green informationreporting by asking users to share their SDS that take monetary termsinto consideration. The specific items include:

-   -   (1) “Relevant image” 132. The image should be relevant to the        contents of a SDS.    -   (2) “Title” 134. The title of the SDS should be entered in this        box.    -   (3) “Category” 136. A user should choose a category his/her SDS        is most relevant to. The categories include but are not limited        to: Agriculture, Appliance, Architecture/Construction,        Atmosphere, Biodiversity, Business/Finance, Chemistry,        Economics, Education, Energy, Fashion, Food, Forests, Gardening,        Health, Land, Machinery, Materials, Oceans/Seas/Coasts,        Technology, Tourism, Transportation, Waste, Water and Other.    -   (4) “Your Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS)” 138. This is        where a user should input his/her SDS. The system could limit        the amount of text a user entered here, i.e., as shown in FIG.        3B, the SDS needs to be 500 characters or less. This is to        encourage people to share their SDS in a succinct format. At the        same time, potential readers can quickly grasp the author's SDS        in a shorter period of time. However, the system can also be        programmed so there is no restriction on the number of        characters allowed or the system can be programmed so a        different number of character restriction is imposed    -   (5) “Amount of money your SDS could make” 140. Here, a user        should input a dollar amount in US dollars. This number should        indicate the amount of money one could actually or potentially        make if the stated SDS were implemented. In addition, one may        indicate the time it takes to acquire the reported amount of        money. Namely, a user can choose the time length from “a day,”        “a week,” “a month,” and “a year.” Alternatively, the system can        be programmed so the dollar amount does not have to be in US        dollars but in another currency such as yen or euros. The system        can also provide a currency converter to help users to enter the        amount of money with a type of currency he/she is most familiar        with.    -   (6) “calculation method”142. Here, a user should describe how        he/she calculates the Amount of money your SDS could make 140 if        one were to implement his/her SDS. The system could limit the        amount of text a user entered here. This is to encourage the        usage of clear and concise language to ease readability.        However, the system can also be programmed so there is no        restriction on the number of characters allowed.    -   (7) “Amount of money your SDS could save” 144. Here, a user is        supposed to input a dollar amount in US dollars. This number        should indicate the amount of money one could actually or        potentially save if the stated SDS were implemented. In        addition, one may indicate the time it takes to save the        reported amount of money. Namely, a user can choose the time        length from “a day,” “a week,” “a month,” and “a year.”        Alternatively, the system can be programmed so the dollar amount        does not have to be in US dollars but in another currency such        as yen or euros. The system can also provide a currency        converter to help users to enter the amount of money with a type        of currency he/she is most familiar with.    -   (8) “calculation method” 146. Here, a user should describe how        he/she calculates the Amount of money your SDS could save 144 if        one were to implement his/her SDS. The system could limit the        amount of text a user entered here. This is to encourage the        usage of clear and concise language to ease readability.        However, the system can also be programmed so there is no        restriction on the number of characters allowed.

(9) “carbon emissions your SDS could reduce” 147. Here, a user shouldinput an estimated amount of carbon emissions his/her SDS could reduceif it were implemented.

-   -   (10) “calculation method” 149. Here, a user should describe how        he/she calculates the amount of carbon emissions his/her SDS        could reduce if it were implemented.    -   (11) “language” 148. Here, a user should make a selection from a        list by selecting the arrow to indicate which language he/she        uses to draft the SDS, to provide a title for the SDS, to        describe the “Amount of money your SDS could make,” the “Amount        of money your SDS could save” calculation methods and lastly the        calculation method for “Carbon emission your SDS could reduce.”

Using monetary terms, the above items (5) to (8) may facilitate theevaluation of events or activities associated with a published content.For example, because carbon emissions are measured using differentunits/standards globally and such information is usually not exchangedeasily or sometimes not accessible to the public, carbon trading amongnations, manufactures, corporations and individuals as a result suffersfrom lack of information and confusion over such information even whenavailable. With the format shown in FIG. 3B, a user is allowed to sharecarbon-trading and sustainable development related information inmonetary terms. For example, a user's SDS could be regarding the amountof money he/she made by recycling a plurality of plastic/glass bottlesor the amount of money he/she saved by walking instead of driving towork. It may be difficult for a user to calculate exactly the amount ofcarbon emissions he/she has reduced by recycling plastic bottles orwalking instead of driving to work. However, using the format shown inFIG. 3B, a user can “quantify” his/her “green” information in monetaryterms. Consequently, as compared to the conventional way ofreleasing/obtaining carbon-trading and sustainable developmentinformation by/from government official reports (which could beconvoluted for the general audience), the method and system according tothe present invention makes it possible for government institutes,corporations and individuals to share such “green” information in a unit(i.e., monetary terms) that is understandable and commonly used by mostpeople, and in a standardized fashion. Furthermore, the format shown inFIG. 3B, allows a government institute to evaluate carbon-trading andsustainable development information in terms of money, to collectsustainable development-related information from its own citizens andfrom others around the world, and thus facilitates the governmentinstitute to formulate relevant policies on carbon-trading andsustainable development. Since one mission of this method and system isto help users around the world to understand that a SustainableDevelopment Strategy (SDS) does not have to be grand and complex, theconcise and commonly-understandable format shown in FIG. 3B helps tostrengthen this mission. When a government institute could study andcollect many personal SDS from this method and system, governmentofficials and researchers who are involved in drafting their nationalSDS and sustainable development reports can use the collected individual“green” information to create comprehensive national SDS and sustainablereports. After all, national Sustainable Development Strategies shouldbe representative of its citizens' voices and opinions.

By selecting the “Publish” button 150, all the above information a userentered will be transmitted over the Internet to the system. It will beavailable for viewing for all registered members of the system. If theSDS is one of the top three newest, most viewed, most recommended and/ormost translated, then it will be available for public viewing forregistered as well as unregistered users.

Alternatively, the text limit for the SDS and the calculation methodsfor the amount of money made/saved can be increased/reduced orcompletely eliminated. Other alternatives for the “amount of money yourSDS could make 140” and the “amount of money your SDS could save 144”fields are that users do not necessarily have to enter the amount ofmoney in US dollars and can be a currency of a user's choosing. Acurrency selection list can be provided to help users to choose acurrency he/she wishes to use to explain the amount of money a SDS makesor saves. A currency converter can also be presented to help users tocovert the “amount of money your SDS could make” and/or the “amount ofmoney your SDS could save” to a currency he/she desires to use. Whilenot all of the information shown in FIG. 3B is required from users, thiscan change depending on how the system is programmed. That is, thesystem can be programmed so that only some of the fields or all of thefields or none of the fields are required.

FIG. 3C is an exemplary screen showing how a published SDS may appear onthe system after inputting the information as shown in FIG. 3B.Referring to FIG. 3C, if all the fields were entered/selected in FIG.3B, then it will appear as shown in the text section 158.

By selecting 152 (the author of the SDS), a user will be directed to“Biography,” as shown in FIG. 7A or 7B. In so doing, a user may furtherread about the author's background.

By selecting the “+1” button 160, a user may recommend the SDS. A usermay recommend his/her own SDS and other's SDS only once. Because thisscreen shows when the SDS has not earned any recommendations, as aresult, the author of this SDS has not earned any opportunities to sellany parcels of GRE. The message “None is for sale at the moment” showsthis status. This message shows when a user clicks on the GRE tab 156.Again, GRE stands for Green Real Estate and refers to the emptyspace/slots that appear next to a user's SDS. This empty space isavailable for advertisements or other services such as sending greetingcards, depending on what the buyer's doing with the space. Because noGRE is available for sale, nothing will appear when a user clicks on theSponsored tab 154 (no one could buy anything so no one could uploadanything).

A user of the system may help to translate the SDS by entering thetranslation of the shown SDS in a box 174 and select a language he/sheuses to translate by making a selection in a selection list 176 andselect publish 178 to transmit the information over the Internet. Whenseveral translations appear below the SDS, a user may select Newest 162,Oldest 164, Most Liked 166, to sort the list of translations. Inaddition, a user may also select a language in a selection list 168 andclick the Submit button 170 to only view translations in a specificlanguage. For example, if a user wishes to view only the translations inItalian, then he/she can select Italian in 168 and click the Submitbutton 170 to view only the Italian translations of the shown SDS.

Alternatively, the system can be programmed in such a way that theauthor may not recommend him/herself. For recommendations on otherpeople's SDS, the system can be programmed so that a user may be able torecommend more than once if a certain threshold passes or a certainrequirement fulfills. Instead of requiring a user to earnrecommendations to sell GRE, the system can also be programmed so thathe/she can sell GRE to make money without any recommendations. In otherwords, a user may potentially start selling his/her GRE as soon as hepublishes an SDS and prices parcels of GRE to sell.

The system can also be programmed in such a way that it automaticallyprices the GRE for a user according to the number of viewers of the SDS,the number of recommendations of the SDS, the number of translations,and/or this particular user's pricing preferences (i.e., based onhis/her pricing history). For sorting all the translations, besidesnewest, oldest, most liked and different languages, the translations canalso be sorted by most recommended translations and/or the ranks of theusers.

FIG. 4A is an exemplary screen showing a main menu for managing a user'sGRE. For every five recommendations a user has earned, he/she will gainan opportunity to sell a parcel of GRE. Referring to FIG. 4A, thisscreen shows when a user selects “Manage My Green Real Estate (GRE)” 120after selecting the “Mission Office” tab 78, as shown in FIG. 2. When auser selects “Available opportunities to sell your GRE (price yourGRE!)” 184, he/she will be directed to a page where he/she is able toset a base price for his/her GRE, as shown in FIG. 4B. Starting from thetime the GRE's base price is set, it will go through two weeks ofbidding. Other registered users of the system can place bids that are atleast equal to or greater than the GRE's base price. A user can managethe GRE he/she is currently selling by selecting “GRE you are currentlyselling” 186. In so doing, a user will be directed to the exemplaryscreen as shown in FIG. 4D. At the end of the two-week bidding period ifa user did not choose to end an auction early, whether a user's GRE issold or not, a user may check the status (such as the highest bid amountor the highest bidder's name or that no one has placed any bids) byselecting “GRE you have sold and didn't sell” 188. Here, a user may alsocheck the revenue he/she has earned from selling the GRE or whethersomeone has paid (a transaction ID is then provided) or not yet paid forthe GRE he/she has acquired via bidding, as shown in FIG. 4E. On theother hand, when a user wishes to check the status of his/her bidding onother people's GRE, he/she can select “GRE you are bidding and yourbidding history” 190. This link will take a user to find out whetherhe/she is/was the (current) highest bidder and other information such asthe start and the end dates of the GRE auction, as shown in FIG. 4F. Inorder to ensure a user's privacy when he/she places bids on other users'GRE, he/she may choose a “bidding name” that he/she wishes to use forthe GRE auction. To do so, a user would input a name in 182 and selectthe “change” button to make the change. To complete the purchase and the“construction” process of the GRE (i.e., uploading contents to a parcelof GRE he/she wishes to show), a user can select “GRE you have won viabidding (view payment status/upload your content here)” 192 to fulfillthe requirements. The “construction” process refers to uploadingcontents to an “empty” parcel of GRE a user has acquired via bidding.This is shown in FIG. 4G. If a winning bidder did not pay the seller ofthe GRE in time or never completes the payment, then the seller may wishto block the bidder. There may be other reasons a seller may wish toblock another user from placing bids on his/her GRE. The blocking actioncan be done by selecting “GRE you have sold and didn't sell” 188 andchoose Block 258 in FIG. 4E. To unblock, a user should select “Blockedlist” 194 in FIG. 4A and select Unblock 330 in FIG. 4J. To return tohis/her “Mission Office,” which is the main screen of the system asshown in FIG. 2, a user may select “Return to my Mission Office” 180.

Alternatively, a link called “Account Balance” that helps a user tomanage his/her revenue from selling GRE can also be included in thismenu. The time length of the GRE auction and the amount of revenue auser can earn by selling GRE can vary depending how the system isprogrammed and the traffic of the system (i.e., the number of GREtransactions and the number of users accessing the system etc.). Forexample, a parcel of GRE may not necessarily go through two weeks ofbidding, it could be a day or a week or two months or there could be notime limit until the parcel of GRE is sold. The system can be programmedin such a way that it allows a user to select the time length he/shewishes to use for his/her GRE auction. In an embodiment, the systemallows a user to collect 80% of his/her GRE's highest bid amount, butthis profit share percentage can change. For example, the system couldbe programmed to allow a user to collect 90% if he/she passes a certainthreshold or passes a certain requirement. The system can be programmedso that any amount of profit sharing is possible between a seller of theGRE and the system owner. The system can even be programmed so that theprofit sharing can be split between the owner of the system, the sellerof the GRE and the broker of the GRE. That is, if a user helps anotheruser of the system to sell his/her GRE, the owner of the GRE can pay acertain amount of money to the user who helps him/her to sell it. FIG.4B is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the availableopportunities to price his/her GRE. After selecting “Availableopportunities to sell your GRE (price your GRE!)” 184 in FIG. 4A, a userwill see the exemplary screen shown in FIG. 4B. By selecting one of theSDS/Memo title links in SDS/Memo title link section 196, a user will bedirected to the SDS or the Memo where the parcel of GRE is advertisedfor sale. Further, when the parcel of GRE is sold, then this is alsowhere the “newly constructed” GRE will appear. “Newly constructed” GREmeans when a winning bidder pays for the highest amount he/she bidedearlier and uploads content to the “empty” GRE (or the empty space/slotthat appears next to a SDS/Memo). The title links in the link section196 also take a user to where (or which SDS/Memo) he/she gains therecommendations from. Because of such recognition, a user gainsopportunities (or an opportunity if there were only 5 recommendations)to sell GRE and make money.

By selecting one of the “price it now” links in GRE link section 198, auser will be directed to set a base price for his/her GRE, as shown inFIG. 4C. Instead of letting the system owner or the advertisers decideon the value of his/her uploaded information, a user may decide on thevalue of his/her published SDS/Memo (that could contain any types ofcontent) and the blank space surrounding the published contents whichare available for advertisement services or other uses (aka “GRE”).Bidders should place their bids at least equal to or greater than thisbase price amount. The start (date) 200 shows the first day and timethat is available for a user to set a base price for his/her GRE. Thisis also the date and time when a user gains five recommendations on anyof his/her published SDS/Memo. A user is required to price/her GRE bythe end (date) 202 in order for his/her GRE to go through the GREauction. In other words, this screen shows that a user has one week toset a base price for his/her GRE. If he/she does not meet this deadline,then the “price it now” link 198 will not be selectable. In other words,a user will lose his/her opportunity to sell the parcel of GRE he/shegained from earning five people's recommendations because he/she did notprice the parcel of GRE in time.

Alternatively, the system can be programmed in such a way that itautomatically prices GRE for a user based on his/her pastpricing/selling history and/or number of viewers/recommenders of his/herpublished SDS/Memo and/or his/her pricing preferences and/or his/hernumber of translators/alliance etc. In addition, the system can beprogrammed so that there is no deadline to price GRE. In other words, assoon as a user gains a certain number of recommendations or as soon as auser publishes a SDS or Memo or any types of content, he/she will gainopportunities to set base prices for his/her parcels of GRE and he/sheis not required to set the base prices by a certain date and time. Auser may choose to set the base prices of GRE at any time without anydeadlines.

FIG. 4C is an exemplary screen showing the information a user isrequested to supply in order to price his/her GRE. This screen appearsafter a user selects “Price it now” 198 in FIG. 4B.

Referring to the exemplary screen FIG. 4C, item 204 shows not only thetitle of a SDS but also where the for-sale parcel of GRE appears. Thisis also where a user gains the recommendations from.

Item 206 shows the first day that is available for a user to pricehis/her parcel of GRE.

Item 208 shows the deadline for a user to price his/her parcel of GRE. Auser can choose an image in the field box 212 to upload in order toadvertise his/her GRE. This field can be required or optional. Once auser clicks on the “upload” button, he/she may preview the picture inthe slot 210. For example, if a user were a company, he/she may chooseto upload the company's logo. If a user wishes to upload his/her ownartworks or pictures, he/she may do so as well. If a user chooses not toupload any images, then a default picture will appear (as shown).

Next, a user should input a dollar amount in the box 214 to set a baseprice for his/her parcel of GRE. Further, a user can provide a title forthe parcel of GRE he/she is selling. This is to help both the sellersand the buyers to distinguish the different parcels of GRE he/she isselling/bidding.

Subsequently, a user may describe the parcel GRE he/she is selling inthe box 218. The description 218 may be regarding how a user set his/herbase price (such as based on the number of viewers and/or recommendersof his/her published SDS/Memo) or even regarding the artwork he/sheuploaded. By pressing the “sell my GRE now” button 220, a userofficially submits his/her parcel of GRE to go through the auctionprocess. Otherwise, he/she may press “cancel” 222 to undo the pricingaction.

Alternatively, the system can be programmed so that a user may choosehow long the auction should be for his/her GRE. An auction time lengthselection function can be included here. Namely, a user may choose toallow a particular parcel of GRE to go through two days of bidding oreven three months of bidding. A user may even choose not to set any timelength for GRE auction and simply decide to end the auction at anytimeat his/her will.

Also, in an embodiment of the present system, a base price needs to bebetween $1 and $5,000 in whole dollar amount. However, the system can beprogrammed so that the base price can include decimals and any amountgreater than 1 cent to infinity dollar of amount. The system can also beprogrammed so that a user may even have the option to give away theparcel of GRE for free at times. Another alternative is that a user maygive away the parcel of GRE he/she gains from publishing recommendedSDS/Memo/contents to another user of the system as a gift. The receivinguser can either uses the parcel of GRE to upload contents him/herself orsell the parcel of GRE to yet another user.

Also, while the screen shows that a user should enter a dollar amount inUS dollars, they system can be programmed in such a way that a user mayenter any currency he/she desires and the system can further provide acurrency converter.

The system can also be programmed in such a way that only some of thefields in FIG. 4C or all of the fields in FIG. 4C are required.

FIG. 4D is an exemplary screen showing the parcels of GRE a user iscurrently selling. The screen appears after a user selects “GRE you arecurrently selling” 186 in FIG. 4A.

After entering the information to price his/her parcels of GRE (as shownin FIG. 4C), a user may observe the bidding process on his/her parcelsof GRE here. This screen shows all the parcels of GRE a user iscurrently selling. The image a user uploaded in FIG. 4C will appear inthe image section 224.

The title links under SDS/Memo 226 indicate where the for-sale parcelsof GRE appear. Further, the title links under GRE 228 indicate thedetails of the for-sale parcels of GRE, as shown in FIG. 6B.

Base price 230 shows the base price a user has set in FIG. 4C. This isthe least amount a bidder has to bid. However, the system can beprogrammed in such a way that, for example, if a parcel of GRE has notreceived any bids in a certain amount of time, then the first bidder ofthis parcel of GRE can even bid below the base price amount.

Highest bid 232 shows the current highest bid amount or the base priceamount if no one has placed any bids on the parcel of GRE.

Bidder Name 234 shows the highest bidder's “bidding name” A user's“bidding name” is a name a user desires to use to place bids on otherpeople's parcels of GRE. He/she may change his/her bidding name” in thebox 182 in FIG. 4A. This may or may not be a user's actual name.

Start (date) 236 shows the start date and time of the GRE auction. Theauction starts as soon as a user prices his/her parcels of GRE.Alternatively, the system can be programmed so that the auction does notstart as soon as a user prices his/her parcels of GRE. Instead, theauction can start at any time of a user's choosing.

End (date) 238 shows the end date and time of the GRE auction. When theauction ends, whether the parcel of GRE is sold or not, the record ofits transaction history will appear in “GRE you have sold and didn'tsell,” as shown in FIG. 4E.

End Bid 239 provides an option where a user may choose to end a GREauction early. That is, a user may choose to not go through a week or atwo-week bidding period and end the auction at a time when he/she sees ahighest bid amount he/she is satisfied with.

Alternatively, the system can be programmed in such a way that it allowsa user to set a price that it wishes to sell his/her parcel of GREwithout any negotiations. That is, a user's parcel of GRE does notnecessarily have to go through an auction process. A bidder (or a buyer)can simply purchases a user's GRE with a fixed price set by the sellerof the GRE. In this case, neither the seller nor the buyer of the GREneeds to wait for a period of time for the auction to end. The sellercan receive payments more quickly, and the buyer can “build on” his/hernewly acquired GRE (that is, uploading content to the GRE) as soon ashe/she completes the payment to both the seller of the GRE and the ownerof the system. Again, the GRE auction time limit can vary depending onhow the system is programmed. It can range from a few minutes to no timerestrictions at all according to a user's preference.

FIG. 4E is an exemplary screen showing the transaction history of auser's sold (both paid and unpaid) and unsold parcels of GRE. The screenappears after a user selects “GRE you have sold and didn't sell” 188 inFIG. 4A. At the end of the auction, whether the parcel of GRE is sold ornot, the record of its auction will appear here.

Images of the for-sale parcels of GRE appear in image section 240.

The title links under SDS/Memo 242 indicate the location of the GRE(i.e., at which SDS/Memo the parcel of GRE appears).

By selecting one of the GRE title links under GRE 244, a user will bedirected to view the details of the for-sale parcel of GRE, as shown inFIG. 6B.

Base price 246 indicates the base price a user has set in FIG. 4C.

Highest Bid 248 indicates the highest bid amount on the parcel of GRE atthe end of the auction. If there were no bids, then “none” will show.

Bidder Name 250 shows the highest bidder's actual name. By selecting ahighest bidder's name, a seller may ask the highest bidder questions orsend his/her comments/concerns. The conversation between the seller ofthe GRE and the buyer of the GRE is viewable to only both of them.

Start (date) 252 shows the start date and time of the auction, and End(date) 254 shows the end date and time of the auction.

Your revenue/Transaction ID 256 shows the amount of money a user hasearned from selling the particular parcel of GRE and the Transaction IDassociated this transaction. The amount of money shown is a percentageof the highest amount. For example, this screen shows that a user isearning 70 percent of the highest bid amount shown in Highest Bid 248.Again, the profit sharing scenarios can vary and range anywhere betweenzero and 100 percent between sellers of GRE and the system owner.Namely, the seller of GRE can collect no profits or 100 percent of theprofits while the system owner could also collect no profits or 100percent of the profits. As soon as the purchaser of the GRE completespayments, the seller of the GRE will obtain a Transaction ID to keeprecords (as shown in 256 in FIG. 4E).

Block 258 allows a user to block a bidder (also the buyer of the GRE).This means that the person who has been blocked will not be able toplace bids on any of this user's future for-sale parcels of GRE. Thismay occur, for example, when the highest bidder of the parcel of GREnever completes payments.

Feedback 260 allows a user to provide feedback for his/her bidders (orbuyers). The feedback may include text comments and/or numerical ratings(such as +1, 0, or −1), as shown in FIG. 4I.

While this screen shows that a user would gain 70% of the highest bidamount, the system can be programmed to include other profit sharingscenarios. For example, a user may gain 30% or 80% or even 100% at timesif he/she passes a certain threshold or fulfills a certain requirement.If a user chooses not to go through auction to sell his/her GRE, thenthe Highest Bid 248 should show the amount of money paid by the buyerwithout any negotiations.

FIG. 4F is an exemplary screen showing the parcels of GRE a user iscurrently bidding. The exemplary screen appears after a user selects“GRE you are bidding and your bidding history” 190 in FIG. 4A. Here, auser may view the status of the parcels of GRE he/she is currentlybidding (or trying to buy via auction) from other registered users ofthe system. Further, a user may view his/her previous bidding historyhere.

The images of the for-sale GRE are shown in image section 262.

The title links under GRE 264 direct a user to view the details of theGRE, as shown in FIG. 6B.

Seller name 266 shows the name of the GRE seller.

Base price 268 shows the “starting price” of the GRE. In other words,this is the base price the seller has set and a bidder needs to sethis/her bid at least equal to or greater than this amount.

Highest bid 270 shows either the current highest bid amount for theparcel of GRE a user is bidding or the winning/final bid price when theGRE auction ends.

Highest bidder 272 shows either the current highest bidder's “biddingname” during an auction or the winning bidder's “bidding name” Start(date) 274 shows the start date and time of the GRE auction. End (date)276 shows the end date and time of the GRE auction.

FIG. 4G is an exemplary screen showing the parcels of GRE a user hasacquired via bidding. The exemplary screen appears after a user selects“GRE you have won via bidding (view payment status/upload your contenthere)” 192 shown in FIG. 4A. At the end of the auction, if a user hasplaced the highest bid on a parcel of GRE, then he/she becomes the“winning bidder.” The details of the GRE a user has acquired via biddingappear in FIG. 4G.

Images of the acquired GRE appear in image section 278.

The GRE title links under GRE 280 direct a user to view the details ofthe GRE, as shown in FIG. 6B.

When selecting one of the user's name links under Seller Name 282, auser may ask his/her seller questions or send comments/concerns. Thisconversation is viewable only to the seller and the buyer of the GRE.

Base price 284 shows the “starting price” the seller of the GREoriginally set for his/her properties.

Highest bid 286 shows the winning (highest) bid amount on the GRE.

This is also the amount of money a user pays at the end of the auctionif he/she were the winning bidder.

Bidding start (date) 288 shows the starting date and time of theauction. Bidding end (date) 290 shows the end date and time of theauction.

At the end of the auction, a user should select “Pay Now” 300 tocomplete the payment process. The payment method includes but is notlimited to credit cards (Visa/Master/Discover/American Express, JCB),checks and PayPal. If a user chooses to use PayPal, he/she may receivethe money he/she could collect (i.e., a percentage of the highest bidamount, such as 70% of the highest bid amount) instantly by usingservices such as PayPal Adaptive Payments. Such service will split themoney automatically between the seller of the GRE and the owner of thesystem after a highest bidder completes his/her payment. For example, ifa user were to pay $100 for a parcel of GRE he/she acquired via auction,by using services such as PayPal's Adaptive Payments, PayPal willautomatically send $70 to the GRE seller's PayPal account and $30 to theowner of the system's PayPal account as soon as a purchaser of the GREpays by credit card or sends money from his/her PayPal account. In thisway, contrary to the traditional method where a user may have to waituntil his/her profits reach a certain threshold to collect his/herearnings (i.e., waiting until the profit gains to reach $100 to receivea check in the mail, which is often the case for users who use servicessuch as Google AdSense), this method allows a user to collect moneyright away. Once this step is complete, the Pay now link 300 willdisappear, the Paid Date 292 will appear, and finally, a user will see alink named Upload Available Now 298 appears. When a user selects thislink, he/she will see the exemplary screen as shown in FIG. 4H. This iswhere a user may upload the content he/she desires to advertise/show.After a user finishes uploading his/her desired content to show, UploadAvailable Now 298 will disappear and the Feedback 294 and Uploaded 296links will appear.

By selecting Feedback 294, a user may provide his/her sellerfeedback/rating, as shown in FIG. 4I. The feedback may include textcomments and/or numerical rating (such as +1, 0 or −1). When a userselects Uploaded 296, he/she will be directed to the SDS or the Memo(which could contain any types of contents) where the “newlyconstructed” (aka content uploaded) GRE will appear. The date and timethat a purchaser of the GRE chooses to upload content will appear inShow Start 293. This date and time also indicates the starting date andtime the content-uploaded GRE will start to appear at the selected SDSor Memo. Show End 295, as shown in FIG. 4G, indicates the ending dateand time the content-uploaded GRE will disappear at the selected SDS orMemo (where the purchaser bids the “empty” GRE slot from). TMtransaction ID/Seller Transaction ID 297 provides two transaction IDsassociated with a particular GRE transaction once the purchaser (bidder)of the GRE completes payments for record-keeping purposes. “+1” 299indicates how many times a viewer of a content-uploaded GRE has clickedon the “thumbs-up” button 358, as shown in FIG. 5B.

Alternatively, the system can be programmed so that the “newlyconstructed” (content uploaded) GRE can appear at any time length. Forexample, it may appear for a week or more or less. The time length couldrange anywhere between a second to an infinite amount of time. When auser selects “Pay Now” 300, he/she can either pay for theauction-acquired GRE via the System or the link may direct a user to anexternal website (such as PayPal) to complete the payment process.

The system can be programmed in such a way that a purchaser of a parcelof GRE may be required to upload contents to his/her empty space (akaGRE) by a certain date and time. On the other end, the system can alsobe programmed so there is no expiration date as to when a user needs toupload the contents he/she desires to show/advertise in the parcel ofGRE he/she acquired via the auction.

FIG. 4H is an exemplary screen showing the information a user may berequired to supply in order to “construct” his/her GRE (or to uploadcontent to his/her GRE). That is, when a user has won a parcel of GREvia auction (by placing the highest bid by the end date of the auctionin one embodiment), he/she has then gained an “empty space” next to aSDS or a Memo (that could contain any types of content) that isavailable for advertisements or other similar services or other usessuch as sending greeting cards. By paying for the GRE he/she hasacquired via auction, a user becomes the new owner of the GRE for aperiod of time. He/she may utilize the “empty space” (aka Green RealEstate (GRE)) any way he/she desires as long as it is legal, appropriateand obeys the system's content guidelines.

First, a user may choose an image to upload to his empty GRE in the box304. He/she can then preview the image he/she uploaded in the slot 302.It may be an image of his/her company's logo and/or an image relevant tothe content/link he/she wishes to show/advertise. It may also be animage of a greeting card if he/she wishes to utilize the space as amedium to send wishes/greetings or to express feelings (such as athank-you note or to even send a marriage proposal). For example, if thehighest bidder of the GRE (aka the purchaser of the GRE) were friendswith the author of the SDS, and he/she wishes to send him/her (author ofthe SDS) birthday wishes, then the purchaser may wish to upload ahappy-birthday greeting card image here. In so doing, not only is thepurchaser of the GRE sending the author of the SDS birthday greetings,he/she is also sending his/her friend, who is the author of the SDS, acertain amount of money to celebrate his/her birthday.

Next, the purchaser of the GRE should enter a title of the contenthe/she wishes to show/advertise in a box 306. A description of thecontent the GRE purchaser wishes to show/advertise should be entered ina box 308. The purchaser should provide an URL link that is relevant tothe content he/she wishes to show/advertise in a box 310. This will takea user to an external web site or could be a link in general that eitherlinks within the system or outside of the system. For example, if thepurchaser of the GRE wishes to advertise his/her company, then he/shemay enter his/her company website's URL here.

Subsequently, by selecting the Submit 312 button, all the informationentered will be transmitted over the Internet to appear next to the SDSor the Memo. An example of how this would appear is shown in FIG. 5B.

Alternatively, if the purchaser of the GRE wishes to use the image theseller of the GRE uploaded for advertising it for the auction (i.e., theimage the seller of the GRE uploaded in FIG. 4C), then the system can beprogrammed so that a purchaser of the GRE may keep the seller'spreviously uploaded image. For example, if a seller of the GRE alsohappens to be an artist and/or a graphic designer and/or a photographer,then he/she may wish not only to sell the empty space (aka “GRE”) nextto his/her SDS/Memo, but also his/her artworks/photos by uploading themin FIG. 4C. In so doing, the seller may possibly set a base price of aparcel of GRE higher since he/she is also selling an image or a photo ora piece of artwork he/she designed. At the same time, the purchaser ofthe GRE not only has acquired a parcel of “empty” online real estate touse in any ways he/she desires (as long as it is legal, appropriate andobeys the system's rules), he/she has also purchased a piece of artworkhe/she can later use. The system can be programmed in such a way thatthe purchaser may choose to use the acquire piece of artwork/photoinstantly or for later use for other parcels of GRE. Alternatively, theseller of the GRE may also choose to sell the rights of the image/photofor only a specific period of time. That is, the final purchaser of theGRE may only use the image/photo/artwork for only a few hours or a fewday or a years (the time length could vary depending on how the systemis programmed).

FIG. 4I is an exemplary screen showing how a user provides his/hersellers/buyers feedback. The screen appears when a user selects Feedback260 in FIG. 4E and Feedback 294 in FIG. 4G. This is the exemplary screena user may see when he/she wishes to provide feedback for his/hersellers/buyers of his/her GRE parcels.

A user can provide text comments/concerns for his/her sellers/buyers inthe box 314. In addition, a user could provide his/her sellers/buyersnumerical ratings in the rating section 316, such as +1, 0 or −1. A usercan base this rating on his/her transaction experience with his/herbuyer/seller. For example, if the purchaser of the GRE (aka the winningbidder of the GRE) quickly completes the payment, so the seller cancollect the money sooner, then the seller may wish to provide his/herbuyer a +1 rating for his/her efficiency. Subsequently, when a userselects the Submit my rating button 318, all the entered informationwill be transmitted over the Internet.

Alternatively, the system can be programmed in such a way that theratings do not necessarily need to be represented by numbers (+1, 0,−1); instead, the ratings can be represented by images such as thumbs-upor down or the number of stars or any other representative images. Inaddition, the system can be programmed so that the ratings can help auser to increase his/her ranking (as shown by the numerical badge inFIG. 2's 112 and FIG. 7A's item 406). By providing candid ratings, auser can help potential GRE bidders/sellers to understand other users'GRE transaction history.

The system can be programmed so that only the first numerical ratingwill count or all of the subsequent numerical ratings will count aswell. In addition, the system can be programmed so that if a user hasconsistently earned positive ratings, the he/she can higher a higherprofit share or sell more parcels of GRE. On the other hand, if a userhas consistently received negative ratings, the system can also beprogrammed so that user may have to earn lower profits when selling GREor sell less parcels of GRE.

FIG. 4J is an exemplary screen showing a list of people a user hasblocked. The exemplary screen appears when a user selects Blocked list194 in FIG. 4A. Here, a user may access the system in order to view alist of people he/she has blocked from placing bids on his/her GRE. Auser may also unblock people he/she previously blocked here.

Also referring to FIG. 4E, a user may choose to block another user fromplacing bids on his/her GRE by selecting Block 258. This means thatwhoever that has been blocked cannot place any more bids on theblocker's GRE. This may occur when a seller finds that abidder/purchaser of the GRE did not complete payments, or did not pay intime and/or have uploaded inappropriate content to the empty parcels ofGRE in the past.

A user may view the blocked person's image in image section 320. Theblocked person's name shows under Name 322. The blocked person's overallGRE buying/selling feedback rating shows under GRE Transaction Rating324. The blocked person's total number of recommendations (gained fromthe SDS and/or Memo and/or briefings and/or translations he/she havepublished) shows under Total Recommendations 326. The date and time thisblocking action occurs appears in Date Blocked 328. If a user choosesunblock a person, he/she may simply select Unblock 330 to do so.

FIG. 5A is an exemplary screen showing a published SDS that has earnedrecommendations. A user may see this exemplary screen after he/sheprices his/her GRE in FIG. 4C. When a user of the system visits anotheruser's “Mission Office,” he/she may also select the SDS tab and one ofthe title links to view this screen (as shown in FIG. 3A). When a viewerof a SDS selects the GRE tab 332 in FIG. 5A, he/she will see the currentfor-sale GRE and the for-sale GRE's current highest bids. The image aseller of the GRE (also the author of the SDS) uploaded in FIG. 4C willappear in a slot 334 here in FIG. 5A.

The dollar amount in a price link 336 shows the current highest bid ofthe GRE. By selecting the dollar amount in the price link 336, a userwill be directed to see the exemplary screen shown in FIG. 6B to viewthe details of the current for-sale GRE, which may include the start/enddate of the auction, the bidding history, the number of current bids,the base price of the GRE etc.

By selecting the “+1” button 160 in FIG. 3C, a user can recommend a SDSthat he/she finds effective and beneficial.

When a SDS has gained several recommendations, it will appear as shownin a link 338 in FIG. 5A. After a user has recommended a SDS once byselecting the “+1” button 160 in FIG. 3C, the “+1” button 160 willdisappear. The number of recommenders link 338 in 5A shows the currenttotal number of recommenders, and by selecting it, a user may view alist of the recommenders of the published SDS. When a viewer of the SDSdecides to offer a translation of the SDS, he/she may enter his/hertranslation in 174 in FIG. 3C and select a language he/she uses totranslate in 176 in FIG. 3C, then the translation of the SDS will appearat section 346 and the language used to translate will appear at 344, inFIG. 5A.

A user, including the translator him/herself, my recommend thetranslation by selecting the “+1” button 348 in FIG. 5A. Thetranslator's picture will show in an image link 340 and his/her namewill appear in a name link 342. When a user selects this name link 342,he/she will be directed to view this translator's profile, as shown inFIG. 7A.

Alternatively, if a user wishes to sell his/her GRE for a fixed priceinstead of going through a bidding process, then the price shown inprice link 336 will be the fixed-price a buyer would pay to become thenew owner of the empty GRE for a period of time. A seller of a parcel ofGRE can also choose to not only sell the empty space next to his/herpublished SDS/Memo/other contents but also the images/photos/artworkshe/she uploaded in FIG. 4C. The new owner of the GRE may own the imagefor a period of time or forever, depending on how the seller of the GREsold his/her GRE.

FIG. 5B is an exemplary screen showing a published SDS when payments onthe acquired GRE have been completed and contents have been uploaded tothe empty GRE slots. By selecting the Uploaded link 296 in FIG. 4G, thepurchaser of the GRE (aka the new owner of the GRE for a period of time)may view how the contents he/she uploaded appear next to a SDS/Memo. Ingeneral, when a user of the system views a SDS, by selecting theSponsored tab 350, he/she may view all the contents GRE purchasers haveuploaded.

Item 352 shows the title the purchaser of the GRE entered in FIG. 4H's306. By selecting it, a user will be directed to an external website viaan URL that a purchaser of the GRE entered in FIG. 4H's 310. A user mayalso provide a link that takes a viewer of the content-uploaded GREwithin the system.

Item 354 shows the image the purchaser of the GRE uploaded in FIG. 4H's304.

Item 356 shows the descriptions the purchaser of the GRE entered in FIG.4H's 308.

At any time, when a user of the system wishes to recommend a “Sponsored”GRE (or GRE that has been filled with contents), he/she may select the“thumbs-up” image 358.

Item 360 shows the current number of recommenders on the sponsored GRE.All the sponsored GRE may appear randomly. In one embodiment, the systemis programmed in such a way that the layout only allows five sponsoredGRE (such as the one shown in FIG. 5B), then a user may select a link(not shown) to view the rest of the sponsored GRE.

Alternatively, the system can be programmed so that the sponsored GREand/or the for-sale GRE do not appear randomly. That is, the positionsof the GRE are fixed. In this way, the seller of the GRE may wish tosell higher-positioned GRE parcels for higher prices andlower-positioned GRE parcels for lower prices if he/she desires.Alternatively, the system can also be programmed so the sponsored GRE(aka contents-filled GRE) appear at a specific pattern, such that thehigher priced GRE will tend to appear at the top or higher-ranked GREbuyers' GRE will tend to appear at the top etc.

In addition, the system can be programmed so that even when thepurchaser of the GRE no longer owns this parcel of online real estate,he/she may still keep the image he/she paid for while acquiring theempty GRE parcel and use it elsewhere. For example, if the seller of theGRE sold both the empty space and his/her design of a Christmas card,the winning bidder not only has acquired a parcel of GRE for any useshe/she desires but also the image of a holiday greeting card that he/shemay use it again to send holiday greetings to another person. As thecreator of the holiday greeting card image, the seller of the GRE cancertainly sell the image again, but he/she may also choose to sell theright to use the image completely once a purchaser of the GRE makes fullpayments. This depends on how the seller of the GRE sold his/her GRE.

Furthermore, the system can also be programmed so that not just thehighest bidder gains rights to use the empty GRE for a period of time.For example, the system can be programmed so the highest three biddersof a parcel of GRE all acquire rights to utilize the empty GRE parcel.The positions of their contents-uploaded GRE will then depend on theirbid amounts. That is, the higher his/her bid amount, the higher positionhis/her contents-uploaded GRE is.

FIG. 6A is an exemplary screen showing a list of a user's for-sale GREparcels. A user may access the system in order to view another user's(or his/her own) for-sale GRE parcels. When a user arrives anotheruser's “Mission Office”, he/she may select the GRE tab 90 in FIG. 2 toreach the exemplary screen shown in FIG. 6A.

Images of the GRE are shown in image section 364.

The SDS/Memo title links under SDS/Memo 366 direct users to view wherethe for-sale GRE parcels appear, as shown in FIG. 5A.

The for-sale GRE name links under GRE 368 direct users to view thedetails of the for-sale GRE parcels, as shown in FIG. 6B.

The Base Price 370 shows the starting bid prices the sellers of the GREparcels have set for the auction. Highest Bid 372 shows the currenthighest bids on the GRE. Start (date) 374 shows the starting date andtime of the GRE auction. End (date) 376 shows the ending date and timeof the GRE auction. The number of views and the number of bids (notlabeled) for each GRE parcel are also shown to provide more informationto users.

FIG. 6B is an exemplary screen showing the details of the for-sale GREparcels illustrated in FIG. 6A. Referring to FIG. 6B, a user may furtherlearn about the details of the for-sale GRE parcel by selecting thetitle links of the GRE 366 in FIG. 6A. Here, a user may learn about theseller of the GRE's overall transaction rating by selecting [a user'sfirst name]'s Green Real Estate (GRE) Transaction Rating 378. When auser finishes viewing the details of a for-sale GRE parcel, he/she mayview other for-sale GRE parcels by selecting [a user's first name]'sother Green Real Estate (GRE) for Sale 380 for a complete list of theGRE parcels that are for sale.

Item 382 shows the name of the for-sale GRE parcel.

Item 384 shows the title of the SDS or the Memo (which could contain anytypes of contents), and also the location of the for-sale GRE parcel. Byselecting the title link of the SDS/Memo 384, a user will be directed tothe SDS/Memo where the for-sale GRE parcel appears, as shown in FIG. 5A.At the same time, this is also where the content-uploaded GRE willappear when a highest bidder/GRE purchaser uploads the content he/shedesires to show after payment, as shown in FIG. 5B.

Start (date) 386 shows the starting date and time of the GRE auction.End (date) 388 shows the ending date and time of the GRE auction. TheBase Price 390 shows the starting bid price the seller of the GRE hasset for his/her “properties” in FIG. 4C. The description 392 shows thedescription of the for-sale GRE parcel a seller wishes to make availablefor interested bidders. This may or may not include how he/she set thebase price (based on the number of viewers/recommenders of the publishedSDS/Memo/other contents) or whether he/she not only is selling the“empty space” but also the artwork he/she uploaded. Such artwork or anyimage the seller of the GRE uploaded in FIG. 4C appears in FIG. 6B's396.

The total number of bids that have been placed so far on the GRE iscalculated in Bids 394. The bidder names that appear under Bidder 398show bidders' “bidding names”. A bidder may change his/her “biddingname” in FIG. 4A's 182. By not showing a bidder's real name during theauction, this ensures the protection of a user's privacy. Alternatively,the system can also be programmed so that a user's actual name shows.

The dollar amounts that appear under Bid Amount 400 indicate eachbidder's bid dollar amount on this particular parcel of GRE. When a useris viewing another user's for-sale GRE parcels instead of his/her own,this screen will include a text box where a bidder may input a dollaramount to place a bid, such as shown in Bidding Price 395 in FIG. 6B.Bid Date and Time 402 indicates the date and time a bidder places thebid. When a user who has been blocked by the seller of the GRE, he/shewill not be able to place bids on the GRE, and thus he/she will not seeBidding Price box 395.

FIG. 7A is an exemplary screen showing a user's biography. Referring toFIG. 7A, a user may access the system in order to view his/her ownbiography by selecting the Biography tab 82 illustrated in FIG. 2.

To upload a picture that verifies identify, a user may select “upload mypicture” 408 to do so. The uploaded picture will appear in item 404.

To edit his/her own “biography,” a user may select “edit biography” 410to do so. The information entered after selecting Edit Biography 410will appear in item 414.

To change his/her password to log in the system, a user may select“change password” 412 to do so.

The number badge 406 indicates a user's current rank. The rank may bebased on the total number of recommendations a user has gained from hisshared SDS, transations and briefings etc. The system can be programmedin such a way that a user's rank can be based on otherrecommendations/ratings, such as his/her GRE transcation ratings orhis/her Memo recommendations or other published contents'recommendations. Further, the system can be programmed so that a“higher-ranked” user may sell more GRE parcels or earn a higher profitwhen selling his/her GRE or draft more SDS or publish more contents ifthere are restrictions.

FIG. 7B is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to view another user's biography. This screen is similar tothat illustrated in FIG. 7A except that when viewing another user'sbiography, one will not have the ability to edit that person'sbiography. That is, one can only edit his/her own biography. Afterarriving at another user's “Mission Office,” by selecting the Biographytab 82 illustrated in FIG. 2, a user may view another person'sbiography. In so doing, one can further understand theSDS/Memo/translations/briefings/contents publishers points of view andtheir background. After reading another user's SDS/Memo and/orBiography, a user may wish to invite him/her to become his/her alliance.To do so, a user can select “Add as alliance” 416. A user may alsoinvite another user to become his/her translator by selecting “Add astranslator” 418.

FIG. 7C is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to view another user's or his/her own list of alliance. Thisscreen appears after a user selects the Alliance 84 tab illustrated inFIG. 2.

FIG. 7D is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to view another user's or his/her own list of translators. Thisscreen appears after a user selects the Translators 86 tab illustratedin FIG. 2.

FIG. 8A is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to view another user's or his/her own list of publishedbriefings. This screen appears after a user selects the Briefings 92 tabillustrated in FIG. 2. Because the mission of system is to allow usersto become “government officials” or representatives of their countries(such as ambassadors/diplomats), users can publish “briefings” theydesire to share with the public via the system. The types of briefingsthat can be published via the system include but are not limited tophoto briefing (as shown by example 420), video briefing (as shown byexample 422), press releases briefing (as shown by example 424) and linkbriefing (as shown by example 426). Users also have the option torecommend another's briefings or even his/her own briefings. When a userviews his/her own briefings, he/she will see a “Publish a briefing” linkas shown in FIG. 8A (not numbered). He/she can then select that link andfollow the steps shown in FIGS. 8B to 8E to publish the described fourtypes of briefings. Again, the system can be programmed so other typesof briefings can be published. For example, an audio type of briefingwhere a user may share voice recording.

FIG. 8B is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to publish a “Links” type of briefing. A user would first entera title of his/her link briefing in a box 428, then a description ofhis/her link in a box 430 and subsequently the URL of his/her link in abox 432. All the information entered will be transmitted over theInternet and the published “links” type of briefing will appear as FIG.8A's item 426.

FIG. 8C is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to publish a “Photos” type of briefing. A user can first uploada photo or an image by selecting its file path in a selection list 434.Next, a user can input a title of his/her photo/image in a box 436.Subsequently, a user can describe his/her photo/image in a box 438. Allthe entered information will be transmitted over the Internet and thepublished “photos” type of briefing will appear as FIG. 8A's item 420.The system can be programmed so that any number of images (ranging fromone to infinity) can be uploaded.

FIG. 8D is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to publish a “Videos” type of briefing. A user would firstenter a title of his/her video in a box 440. Then he/she can input adescription of his/her video in a box 442. Subsequently, a user can thenembed a video link in a box 444. All the entered information will betransmitted over the Internet and the published “videos” type ofbriefing will appear as FIG. 8A's item 422.

FIG. 8E is and exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to publish a “Press Releases” type of briefing. A user wouldfirst enter a title of his/her Press Release in a box 446. Then the usercan enter his/her statement (i.e., the contents of his/her PressRelease) in a box 448. All the entered information will be transmittedover the Internet and the published “Press Releases” type of briefingwill appear as FIG. 8A's item 424.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to participate in Q&A sessions. In order to foster closerinteraction among members of the system and to provide a platform whereusers can ask/respond to questions efficiently and improve each other'sSDS overall, this system also provides users opportunities toparticipate in Q&A sessions. To do so, after a user logs in the system,he/she can select the Q&A tab 94 in FIG. 2. When arriving at his/her own“Mission Office,” he/she can view the most recently posted threequestions for him/her, as shown in FIG. 2's item 114.

To view all the records of Q&A, he/she can select the Q&A tab 94 in FIG.2. When arriving at another user's “Mission Office, by selecting the Q&Atab 94 in FIG. 2, a user can view another user's Q&A and participate init if he/she desires.

To ask a question, a user would input his/her question(s) a text box,and the submitted question will appear as item 454 and his/her profilepicture (the person who asked the question) will appear in item 450 andhis/her name will appear in item 452.

In order to respond to any questions, a user may select the Reply link458 and a text field will appear (not shown) for a user to input his/herresponse. The submitted response will appear as shown in item 456.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary screen showing how a user may access the systemin order to view updates of his/her alliance. This screen shows after auser selects the News tab 80 illustrated in FIG. 2. The mission of thesystem is to foster closer interaction among members of the system byupdating users of his/her alliance's recent activities. The types ofupdates include but are not limited to new-briefings, new-translations,new-SDS/Memo and new-GRE parcels-for-sale updates. That is, when auser's alliance has published a briefing (which may include links,photos, videos and/or press releases), added a translation or publisheda SDS/Memo or other contents or has just listed a parcel of GRE forsale, a user will be notified with such updates. For example, as shownin FIG. 10, when a user's alliance has just listed a parcel of GRE forsale, the user's News tab 80 will be added with a link named “[user'sfirst name] is now selling a parcel of Green Real Estate titled ‘[GRE'stitle name]’ on [date]” 470. The alliance's picture will be shown initem 468. Another example is that when a new SDS has been published, theupdate will appear as shown in FIG. 10's item 472. Subsequently, when auser's alliance has added a translation, the update will appear as shownin FIG. 10's item 474. By selecting these alliance “update” links, auser will be directed to view the newly published briefing,translations, for-sale GRE parcels and/or SDS/Memos.

Alternatively, the News tab 80 can also include updates of a user'stranslators and/or the sustainable development news articles a user hassubscribed. As mentioned above, News 80 can also update a user on thelatest news of sustainable development in general, for example, thepolicy changes regarding the carbon trading rules. Moreover, News 80 canalso allow users to sub scribe and obtaincorporations/organizations/schools/products' latest updates and “green”product releases. Finally, News 80 can also include local, national andworld news in general, providing users quick access to the latestinformation.

FIGS. 11A to 11C are flow diagrams showing a method for integrationamong content publication, advertisement services and rewards collectionin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIG. 11A, at step 502, a user, for example, a first user in the systemmay be allowed to view a limited number of materials without logging inor registering the system. In one embodiment, the materials may includethose of the top three newest, most viewed, most recommended and mosttranslated.

At step 504, the first user is requested to register the system, ifhe/she is the first-time user, or log in the system if he/she hasregistered the system. Specifically, a first-time user of the systemwould submit required information to create an account and he/she willbe assigned a personal number (or ID) to access to the system.Otherwise, for a user who already has created an account and has beenassigned a personal number (or ID), he/she can log in the system withthe email address he/she used to create the account and his/herpreviously created password.

At step 506, the first user is allowed to upload a first predeterminednumber of contents. In one embodiment, all users start with threeopportunities to draft SDS initially. However, in another embodiment, interms of drafting memorandums (aka Memo), a user is not restricted to acertain number of memorandums he/she may publish initially. The systemcan be programmed so that such restriction exists or not. As such, atstep 506 the first user may upload a first content, which in oneembodiment may include an SDS or other materials the first user wouldlike to publish online, and in another embodiment may includebriefings/memorandums that can contain any types of content ranging fromtechnology to food to fashion (writing a memorandum can be similar towriting an entry for a journal or for a blog.). The first content maythen be published for public viewing.

Next, at step 508, the amount of a predetermined condition of the firstcontent is calculated. In one embodiment according to the presentinvention, the predetermined condition of the first content includes oneof the number of recommendations on the published first content, thenumber of viewers of the published first content and the number oftranslations of the published first content.

It is then determined at step 510 whether the amount of thepredetermined condition of the published first content reaches a firstpredetermined threshold, for example, as illustrated in one embodimentabove, five recommendations are received for a published SDS or Memo. Ifaffirmative, at step 512, a first slot available for a firstadvertisement is provided. The first slot, in the form of a parcel ofGreen Real Estate (aka GRE) or an empty space/slot surrounding thepublished contents, may subsequently be put through an auction process.

Unlike most bidding systems where values of contents and the prices oftheir surrounding area (which maybe available for advertisements orsimilar uses or other uses such as sending greeting cards) are decidedby advertisers or advertisement services providers, this method andsystem according the present invention allows the first user, i.e., thecontent publisher, to decide on the value of his/her contents and set afirst price for the first slot at step 514.

It may then be further determined at step 516 whether the predeterminedcondition of the published first content reaches a second predeterminedthreshold, for example, ten recommendations are received for thepublished contents (i.e. SDS/memorandums). If not, at step 518, thesystem calculates the amount of the predetermined condition until itreaches the second threshold. If affirmative, at step 520, a second slotavailable for a second advertisement is then provided and the first useris allowed to set a second price for the second slot at step 522.

Referring to FIG. 11B, when the first slot is provided at step 512 inFIG. 11A, in one embodiment, the first user is allowed to upload asecond predetermined number of contents at step 530. A similar processfrom steps 508 to 522 as illustrated in FIG. 11A may be repeated for thesecond predetermined number of contents.

Accordingly, in one embodiment, a user should seek recognition byearning recommendations so he/she could publish more contents and makemoney by selling more slots. In an embodiment where a user gains atleast five recommendations on a published content, he/she gains oneopportunity to publish another content, and one opportunity to price anadvertisement slot for sale. A user can potentially earn endlessopportunities to sell slots available for advertisements, as long as heearns five-multiples of recommendations. That is, a user can earn twoopportunities to price and sell advertisements slots when he/she earnsten recommendations on one of his/her published content. When a userearns fifty recommendations, he/she has earned him/herself tenadvertisements slots (aka GRE) to price and sell to make money.

At step 532, no matter whether any contents are further uploaded at step530 for public viewing, the first user is allowed to upload a secondcontent to the first slot intended for sale. The second content in oneembodiment may include but is not limited to a piece of artwork, aphoto, an image and a logo.

At step 534, the system determines if only a second user has acquiredthe first slot via, for example, bidding (another embodiment shows thata user may purchase a slot directly instead of going through an auctionprocess). If affirmative, at step 536, the second user is allowed toupload a third content to the first slot. The third content can rangefrom contents such as advertising for a company's services to sendinggreeting cards to the seller of the first slot. The third content servesfor an advertisement purpose in general. At step 542, either the firstuser or the second user may access a list of slots to observe a list ofsold/unsold/contents-filled/current-selling slots.

If not, in one embodiment, at step 538, the system determines whether aplurality of third users have acquired the first slot. If affirmative,at step 540, the third users may share the first slot and upload theircontents for advertisement purposes or other uses to the first slot. Inone embodiment, the highest three bidders of the first slot all acquirerights to utilize the first slot. Moreover, the position of their sharein the first slot depends on their bid amounts. For example, the higherhis/her bid amount, the higher or better position his/her share in thefirst slot is. The system can also be programmed in such a way that thehigher his/her bid amount is, the bigger size slot he/she can acquire toupload, for example, a larger photo/image/artwork or more contents. Suchthird users, at step 542, can access a list of slots he/she has acquiredbut not yet uploaded contents, or a list of slots he/she has uploadedcontents, or browsed a list of other for-sale slots.

On the other hand, if the system determines not a plurality of thirdusers has not acquired the first slot, at step 542, in one embodiment,the first user is allowed to keep a list of slots, showing the slots onauction, sold and not sold, and to view other users' for-sale slots ifhe/she desires.

Referring to FIG. 11C, after logging in at step 504 shown in FIG. 11A,the first user gains access to his/her main menu, i.e., “MissionOffice,” where he/she may search for a translator and/or an alliance atstep 550, form alliance with another user or a translator at step 552,access a list of translators/alliance at step 554, view/edit his/her ownbiography at step 556, view another user's biography at step 558 andanswer/ask questions at step 560. More specifically, through thedescribed various embodiments of the present invention, the first usercan receive updates of his/her alliance and/or translators and/or otherindividuals/organized bodies, update his/her biography, findalliance/translators, publish contents, make money with his/her slots,publish briefings and/or participate in Q&A sessions. At the time, auser may also read other users' contents, bid on other people's slotsand visit other users' “Mission Offices” to invite alliance, seektranslators, attend briefings, participate in Q&A sessions and/or readabout their biographies.

It should be understood that the method steps, processes, and operationsdescribed herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring theirperformance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unlessspecifically identified as an order or performance. For example, personshaving ordinary skill in the art will understand that the sequence ofthe steps 550 to 560 as illustrated in FIG. 11C is insignificant and maybe interchangeable. It should also be understood that additional oralternative steps may be employed.

This method and system allows users to report both their personal andnational Sustainable Development Strategies (SDS) in a standardized andcommonly understandable format. Further, the system and method allowsusers from different countries to exchange environmentally friendlystrategies, ideas, acts, policies, trends, other related information,any international affairs and political information efficiently andwithout language barriers. Moreover, this system and method has thecapabilities to allow users to publish and exchange any informationhe/she wishes. At the same time, by using this method and system, userscan receive financial rewards (compensation) for publishing, especiallyquality, contents online. In addition, without actually attendinginternational meetings such as the United Nations' General Assembly orbecoming an elected official in his/her country or joining thegovernment workforce in his/her country, a user may use this system andmethod to become representatives of his/her countries, to report his/herSDS, to publish memorandums (aka Memo) that can contain any types ofcontents, educate others his/her SDS, build international alliances,teach others about his/her country's “green culture,” sharpen languageskills and assist with the exchange of SDS by offering translations, andlearn the latest green trends/ideas/products/strategies.

It should be noted that the method and system described here forreceiving financial compensation (rewards) for publishing recommendedSDS can be applied in general. That is, the system can be programmed insuch a way that a user may not necessarily need to publish SustainableDevelopment Strategies (SDS) and/or other related information to earnrecommendations in order to sell the his/her “online real estate” (aka“GRE-Green Real Estate”). In other words, a user could publish any othertypes of contents besides SDS and sell advertisement slots, earningrecommendations or not, to make money.

For example, this system and method has the option of including ablog-like service (aka “Memo” for publishing memorandums that couldcontain any types of contents and briefings that could contain links,photos, videos and press releases etc). That is, a user may publishanything he/she desires, decide on the value (price it) of the emptyspace that appears surrounding his/her published content, and sell it tomake profits (whether through an auction or not). Also, again, theprofit sharing scenarios between the seller (owner) of the empty space(who is also the content publisher) and the owner of the system can varydepending on how the system is programmed. For example, a seller of theempty may earn anywhere between zero to one hundred percent of theadvertisement slots (aka GRE) he/she sold, while the owner may collectanywhere between zero to one hundred percent of the value of the soldempty space.

This system and method allows users to claim the empty space thatappears next to or surrounding his/her published content as his/her ownafter creating an account on the system. In so doing, a user can sellthe rights of his/her “online properties” (i.e., empty space thatappears next to or surrounding his/her published content, aka Green RealEstate-GRE) to other users of the system for advertisement purposes orsimilar uses or other uses that are legal and appropriate.

Although the present invention has been described with reference tospecific embodiments, it is evident that various modifications andchanges may be made to these embodiments without departing from thebroader spirit and scope of the following claims. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for integrationamong content publication, advertisement services and rewardscollection, the method comprising: publishing a first content generatedby a first user for public viewing; determining whether a predeterminedcondition of the published first content reaches a first predeterminedthreshold; providing a first slot available for a first advertisement ifthe first predetermined threshold is reached; and allowing the firstuser to set a first price for the first slot.
 2. The method of claim 1further comprising: determining whether the predetermined condition ofthe published first content reaches a second predetermined threshold;and providing a second slot available for a second advertisement if thesecond predetermined threshold is reached.
 3. The method of claim 2further comprising: allowing the first user to set a second price forthe second slot.
 4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: allowingthe first user to upload a second content to the first slot.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition of the publishedfirst content includes at least one of the number of recommendations onthe published first content, the number of viewers of the publishedfirst content or the number of translations of the published firstcontent.
 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising: allowing the firstuser to publish a first predetermined number of contents; determiningwhether the predetermined condition of at least one of the firstpredetermined number of contents reaches the first predeterminedthreshold; and allowing the first user to publish a second predeterminednumber of contents if the first predetermined threshold is reached. 7.The method of claim 1 further comprising: identifying a first languagein which the first content is drafted; and searching for a translator totranslate the first language into a second language.
 8. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising: identifying a second user who acquires thefirst slot; and allowing the second user to upload a third content tothe first slot.
 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising: identifyinga plurality of third users who acquire the first slot; and allowing thethird users to share the first slot and upload contents.
 10. The methodof claim 1, wherein the first content includes a sustainable developmentstrategy (SDS) at the national level.
 11. The method of claim 1, whereinthe first content includes a personal sustainable development strategy(SDS).
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content includesbriefings generated by the first user.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein the briefings include at least one of a link-type briefing, aphoto-type briefing, a video-type briefing or a press-release-typebriefing.
 14. The method of claim 1 further comprising: ranking among aplurality of users; and assigning a badge to a user according to theuser's rank.
 15. The method of claim 14 further comprising: allowing ahigher-ranked user to sell more slots available for advertisement. 16.The method of claim 14 further comprising: allowing a higher-ranked userto earn a higher profit when selling a slot available for advertisement.17. The method of claim 14, wherein the ranking is based on at least oneof the number of recommendations or the ratings of slot transactions.18. The method of claim 1 further comprising: evaluating activitiesassociated with the first content in monetary terms.
 19. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising: providing a format for evaluation ofactivities associated with the first content in monetary terms.
 20. Acomputer-implemented method for integration among content publication,advertisement services and rewards collection, the method comprising:publishing a first content; providing a first slot, associated with thefirst content, available for a first advertisement; and allowing a firstuser to set a first price for the first slot.